Machine for applying sealing bands to bottles



March 30, 1954 w. B. EDDISON MACHINE FOR APPLYING SEALING BANDS TO BOTTLES Filed Sept. 26, 1950 6 Shets-Sheet l INVENTOR WBarfonEcZdzson ATTORNEYS.

T LF March 30, 1954 w, a EDDISQN 2,673,674

MACHINE FOR APPLYING SEALING BANDS TO BOTTLES Filed Sept. 26, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W.Baz-fon E dd zson M bjemz ATTORNEYS March 30, 1954 w. B. EDDISON 2,673,674

MACHINE FOR APPLYING SEALING BANDS TO BOTTLES Filed Sept. 26, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Wfiartorz Eddison if 44m zlw w ATTORNEYS March 30, 1954 w. B. EDDISON 2,673,674

MACHINE FOR APPLYING SEALING BANDS T0 BOTTLES Filed Sept. 26, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 'Ju I' 5 I i E l a INVENTOR I KBarTon Eddzson M1 jawz \H), \I/4. E

ATTORNEYS March 30, 1954 w. B. EDDISON MACHINE FOR APPLYING SEALING BANDS TO BOTTLES Filed Sept. 26, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR WBarlaz-z Eddz'sorz BY M MM ATTORNEYS.

March 30, 1954 w. B. EDDISON 2,673,674

MACHINE FOR APPLYING SEALING BANDS TO BOTTLES Filed Sept. 26, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 H ll 76 1-76.15.

. INVENTOR I/KBarfan Edclison f /604w a x ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 30, 1954 MACHINE FOR APPLYING SEALING BANDS TO BOTTLES William Barton Eddison, Irvington, N. 12., as-

signor to Gisholt Machine Company, Madison, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application September 26, 1950, Serial No. 186,691

5 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in machines for applying sealing bands to bottles and the like.

Such machines are particularly adapted to the application of bands of wet regenerated cellulose and the like, which shrink rapidly upon drying and fit tightly upon the surface to which they are applied, such as the necks and caps of bottles.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine having a simple and effective mechanical means for opening the sealing bands successively.

Another object is to provide a machine having a simple and effective mechanism for picking up and rapidly transferring the open sealing band to a loading mechanism in the machine.

Another object is to more effectively break the vacuum and adhesive forces between the tightly engaged inner faces of the bands and to facilitate further opening of the same for transfer through the machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are set forth hereinafter in. the description of an embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the machine in operation;

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical section through the stack and showing the stripper in its retracted position and in dotted lines in its extended position;

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section taken through the opening finger and its supporting post on right angle line 5-5 of Fig. 3 showing the finger in raised position and the seal in .position for opening; 7

Fig. 6 is a similar section showng the seal open and the finger in the position at the end of its opening stroke;

Fig. 7 is a detail vertical front end elevation of the pick-up and transfer finger mechanism taken on line 'il of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken at right angles to Fig. 7 on line 8-8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken through the loading mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the loading mechanism showing additionally in dotted line the position at the time of discharge of a sealing band upon a bottle;

Figure 11 is a side elevation showing the transfer of a seal from the pick-up fingers to the loading fingers;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail section of the loading head showing the loading fingers closed together and disposed horizontally to receive a band;

Fig. 13 is a detail section taken at right angles to Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 12 showing the loading fingers expanded to hold a band; and

Fig. 15 is a detail section taken at right angles to Fig. 14.

The machine is made up of a plurality of parts operated in synchronism to strip successive bands from a magazine, open the same, pick them up individually and transfer them to loading fingers, expand the loading fingers to shape the respective bands, translate the bands from a horizontal transporting position to a vertical position over a bottle top, and drop the bands onto the bottles, one by one. The parts are all operated from a single source of power in rapid time cycle whereby each separate movement constitutes only a small part of the total time of applying a single band, and while one band is being dropped on a bottle another is being opened and picked up, and while one is being transferred to the loading fingers another is being stripped from the magazinc. 4

The seal bands I of regenerated cellulose or other wet material adapted to shrink upon drying, are tubular and are folded flat and received in cans of glycerin solution or other preservative liquid or in sealed packs. When removed from the liquid or pack they quickly dry and shrink. When applied to a bottle top 2, as shown, the band shrinks to the shape of the corresponding top and seals the cap 3 in place so that the latter cannot be removed without first breaking the dry seal band.

The machine illustrated herein for applying the sealing bands in succession to bottle tops comprises in general, a magazine 4 containing a stack of fiat folded bands I, a stripper mechanism 5 having a plate disposed beneath the stack and adapted to strip a single seal at a time laterally from the bottom thereof, opening mechanism 6 having an opening finger disposed above the stripped seal on the plate of mechanism 5 and. adapted to engage the upper surface of the seal frictionally to move the upper wall of the seal relative to the lower wall and effect a partial opening of the seal adjacent each folded edge, a pick-up and transfer mechanism 1 having' a pair of pick-up fingers mounted on a car riage for entering the partially open seal and separating laterally to lift the seal from the stripper plate and then being adapted to move backwardly to transfer the seal to a loading head 8 which has a plurality of contractable and expansible fingers adapted to receive the seal from the pick-up fingers and to expand the same to substantially cylindrical shape and then to translate the same to a vertical position for applying to a bottle top 2, and a stripper mechanism 9 carried by the loading head and adapted to strip the seal downwardly from the fingers and onto the bottle top.

The machine embodies a drive for the several groups of mechanism above referred to in synchronism whereby a rapid succession of seals may be applied automatically to a corresponding succession of bottles.

The machine has a table top base it upon which all of the operative elements are supported to be driven in correlation by a pair of cam shafts II and I2, respectively.

Cam shaft II extends along the rear end of the machine and has a main drive pulley I3 at one end connected by a belt I4 to a suitable drive disposed beneath the table and comprising an electric motor I5 and a suitable speed reducer unit IS. A clutch IT is mounted in the hub of drive pulley I3 and is operated by hand lever I3 to start and stop the machine. Any suitable drive and control may be employed as desired.

Cam shaft I2 extends along the front end of the machine and may be driven in synchronism with shaft II by a chain I9 and a suitable sprocket on shaft II and a corresponding sprocket 2| on shaft I2. The several operative mechanisms of the machine are disposed adiacent the cam shafts II and I2 to be driven thereby in synchronism.

In the machine illustrated the several mechanisms are disposed between the cam shafts II and I2 on table top III. The stripper 5, opening mechanism 6 and the pick-up and transfer mechanism 1 are driven from cam shaft Ii, and the loading head 8 with its fingers, and stripper 9 are driven from cam shaft I2.

The magazine 4 comprises a vertically disposed container having adjustable side walls 22. A weight 23 is disposed to weight down the seals which lie one on top of another upon their fiat I sides to form a stack 24 in the container.

The seals I are introduced in the container of magazine 4 by hand from the top and are removed from the bottom of the stack 24 in the container one by one by the stripper mechanism 5.

The stripper mechanism 5 comprises a plate 25 constituting the bottom support for the stack 24 of seals in the magazine and which is rnovable horizontally in a reciprocating path in its own plane under the influence of a cam 25 on shaft II. Cam 26 drives plate 25 by means of a cam follower 21 on the plate, and a spring 28 disposed beneath the plate biases the same in a direction to effect continued engagement of follower 2! with its cam 26.

The plate 25 has longitudinal tongues 29 along its side edges and is disposed to ride in a complementary channel 30 in its support 3| on base II). The plate 25 also has a stepped upper surface presenting a transverse shoulder 32 of a height suitable for engaging the end edge of a fiat folded seal I at the bottom of stack 24 and stripping the seal from the stack when the plate is moved forward beneath the stack. After removal of the stripped seal from the plate 25 the latter returns and shoulder 32 passes from beneath the stack 24 and permits the latter to drop for the height of the shoulder so that the next lowermost seal in the stack is ready for the next stripping movement.

The front and rear walls 22 of the magazine should have their bottom edges register with the top of step shoulder 32 so that the latter may pass freely therebeneath. The front wall 22 of the magazine should be spaced above the lower level of plate 25 a distance sufficient to accommodate the thickest seal therebetween during stripping.

The plate 25 is held down upon the support 3I by means of removable hold-down strips. 33 secured to the support and overlapping the tongues 29 of plate 25.

The upper surface of the lower level of plate 25, which receives and carries the seal during stripping, preferably has a friction rubber insert 34 therein adapted to engage and support the seal against lateral thrust during stripping and initial opening.

During the time that the stripped seal is held by a dwell in cam 26 forward of the stack in what may be called the opening and pick-up position, the seal is first partially opened by the mechanism 6 and then picked up by the mechanism 1.

The mechanism 6 comprises a vertically reciprocable post 35 mounted in a lug 36 on the side of support 3|. The upper end of post 35 is bifurcated to provide a transverse slot 31 therein for receiving the upper end of an opener finger 38 which is pivotally carried by the post by means of the cross pin 39.

The lower end of finger 38 carries a neoprene or other suitable friction tip 40 for engaging with the top surface of a seal I at the opener position on plate 25 in front of stack 24. The tip 40 is normally held above and out of interference with the movement of seal I during stripping of the same from stack 24, by means of a stop 4| on post 35 which supports the outer end of the finger 38 against pivoting downwardly into the path of movement of the seal.

The post 35 is supported and moved vertically by a horizontal arm of a bell crank lever 42 pivotally carried by a pivot pin 43 extending horizontally from support 3I. The lower horizontal arm of lever 42 has its free end bifurcated to form a yoke 44 receiving a pin 45 on the side of the lower end of post 35 to thereby control the vertical position of the post and support the same at all times.

Lever 42 has an upwardly extending arm on the opposite side of pivot 43 from the lower arm and which carries a cam follower 45 adapted to ride upon a cam 4'! on shaft I I and which effects rocking of the bell crank lever 42 to raise and lower post 35 in synchronism with the movement of stripper 5.

Cam :2! effects a lowering of post 35 during the dwell of cam 26 at the time seal is supported on stripper plate 25 in a position substantially centered beneath the tip 49 of finger 38, so that tip 46 engages the top surface of the seal. As post 35 continues to move downward after initial engagement of the tip 48 with the seal, the finger 381s compelled to pivot at 39, thereby tending to rotate to a horizontal position whereby tip 48 frictionally slides the upper wall of the seal towards the opposite folded edge. This movement of finger 38 distorts the seal I to produce a separation of the walls thereof in front of and behind the tip 40, as shown in Fig. 6, so that the band is opened near its two folded edges to re.- ceive a pair of pick-up and transfer fingers all operated by the pick-up mechanism 1.

A tension spring 49 disposed between the upwardly extending arm of lever 42 and base it biases the lever in a direction to maintain engagement between follower 45 and cam ll and to maintain post 35 in raised position except when cam ll forces a movement or lever 32 against the spring.

A tension spring 59' is disposed between finger 38 and post 35 to effect a predetermined frictional engagement of tip with the seal l and to bias finger 38 toward its stop ll at all times. The spring it also prevents displacement of finger 38 during rapid operation of the machine from the inertia of the mass movement involved.

As soon as the horizontal pick-up fingers .8 enter the initially opened seal, the cam t? retracts and permits spring- 39 to raise post 35, to thereby raise finger 33 and retract tip E8 upwardly from the seal.

The pick-up transfer mechanism l comprises a main slide adapted to move horizontally at right an s to the movement of tip 46 in initially opening the seal 1. In the machine shown, the plate 2% and slide move parallel in operation while ti! moves in a vertical plane at right angles to the plate and slide.

Movement of slide 56 effected by a large cam 5! on shaft ll and which is disposed to engage a cam follower 52 on the rear end of the slide. Since the slide 59 reciprocates for a substantial distance, it is biased in a return direction toward cam 5| by means of a cable 53 extending rearwardly from the slide and over a suitable pulley 54 with a weight 55 hanging on the end, of the cable.

The slide carries a. pair of cross slides which extend horizontall in front of the zine t one above the other and from which the corresponding L-Shap-ed fingers 38 are suspended. The slides 56 are interconnected by means of a gear pinion 5'5 meshing with opposed racks 58 on the corresponding slides so that the sli e move in opposite directions.

The upper slide 5 5 is biased outwardly in di rection tending to the fingers iii by means of a compression spring 553 engaging the inner end of the slide. The slides 56 are moved in a direction against spring 59 to move fingers it toward each other by means of a care to extending longitudinall of main slide Eli and having a cam surface engaging the inner beveled end of the lower lide 5 5.

Cain reciprocates relative to slide Ell to effeet the desired separation and contraction of fingers in synchrcnism with the movement of the For this purpose the cam has a relatively thin section with parallel sides at one end, a relatively thick section with parallel side at the other end, and a beveled cam section therebetween. Movement of cam. 5d longitudinally of slide determines which end section of the cam is disposed in engagement with the lower 6 adjustably threaded thereon on opposite side of plate 62.

When slide til moves toward cam shaft H to cause fingers 48 to enter a sealing band I to be picked up, and just before the slide Ell reaches the extreme end of its movement, after initial entry of fingers S8 in the band, step out G3 on rod El engages plate 62 and stops further movement of cam with slide 59. As slide so continues to the end of its stroke, the slide 56 and the lower slide are moved relative to cam til to permit the lower slide 56 to move into the recessed thinner end portion of the cam 5%, thereby providing for separation of finger 53 by the biasing movement of spring 59, and resulting in a picking up of the sealing band i which is then tightly stretched across the fingers.

The slide is then reversed direction carrying cam 88 with it until the band i is slipped over the ends of the loader fingers on the loading head ti. As slide approaches the end of this stroke and the band i engages the stripper plate 36 of mechanism 5? which stops further travel of the band, the outer stop nut 34 on rod '6! engages plate 62 and stops further travel of cam 63. As slide 58 continues to the end of its stroke to release band i from fingers slide 58 and the lower slide 55 move relative to cam 69 to push the latter in a direction effecting movement of fingers 33 toward each other and of the upper slide 56 against the biasing spring lit. Thaingers 43 then clear the end of the band I leaving the la ter solely supported by the loader fingers 65.

Before the slide is moved forwardly to pick up another sealing band i the loader fingers E55 are expanded by separation to provide a substantially circular shape for the band thereon and the head 8 is rotated to tilt the fingers 55 downwardly and thereby position the band vertically over a bottle top 2 and out of the way of the returning pick-up fingers 23. When fingers 65 have deposited the band i upon a bottle top 2 the head is rotated back to position the fingers t5 horizontally and the latter are contracted to position the same for receiving the next succeeding band from fingers it.

The transfer of band i from magazine s to loader fingers 6% involves the stripping of the band from the bottom of stack 2-8 by plate 25 driven by cam 2%, initial opening of the band by finger 3B driven by cam ill, the entrance of pickup fingers 48 into the open end of the band by movement of slide 50 against the receding cam 5|, the separation of fingers 58 to pick up the band, the carrying of the band forwardly by fingers 48 as slide 50 is pushed forwardly by cam 51 until the band is disposed upon loading fingers 65, the contracting of fingers id and withdrawal of the same from the band as slide 553 continues to the endof its stroke, and the return of the slide 583 and the contracted fingers toward the next band on stripper plate 25 while the loader head 8 is functioning to apply the band to a bottle top 2.

The loader head 8 may have any desired construction, that shown having a detail construction similar to that set forth in the co-pending application of the present applicant and Jack Lee Pomeroy, Serial No. 665,885, filed April 29, 1946, and now issued to Patent No. 2,630,956, and which also discloses an embodiment of the present invention.

There are three basic movements involved in loading: (1) the expansion and contraction of fingers 65 so that the fingers are normally arranged in a common plane when receiving a band I from fingers 48 and are expanded to give the band a substantially circular open shape when applying the same to a bottle top 2; (2) the reciprocatory rotation of head 8 to tilt the fingers 65 and band I from horizontal to vertical downward position and to return the fingers to horizontal position; and (3) the reciprocation of stripper plate 66 which pushes the band I downwardly from fingers 66 onto the bottle top 2 registered therewith.

In operation of the machine a series of bottles are moved successively along a conveyor beneath the table top I8 and a bottle is made to register with fingers 85 each time the latter tilt downwardly to apply a sealing band thereto. An opening 61 through the table top I8 provides for the tilting of fingers 65 downwardly therethrough to register with the successive bottles.

As set forth in said co-pending application the loader 8 comprises a loader block 68 carrying fingers 65 and stripper plate 68 and is secured on the end of a sleeve 69 journaled in and extending through a pedestal I8 fixed on base I8. The axis of sleeve 69 is parallel to shaft I2, and is disposed to provide an axis for rotary movement of block 68 to locate the fingers 65 horizontally at a height to receive a band I from fingers 48 and vertically above and in registry with a bottle top 2 for applying the band thereto.

Three cams are mounted on shaft I2 for driving loading head 8 and stripper 9. Cam II serves to operate fingers 65; cam I2 serves to reciprocate stripper plate 66; and cam I3 serves to oscillate loader block 68 rotationally.

"There are preferably eight fingers 65 in the form of parallel wires arranged in pairs. When block 68 is disposed with the fingers 85 horizontal and ready to receive a sealing band I from fingers 48, each pair of fingers has one finger lying above the other. The pairs of fingers 65 are about equally spaced apart laterally so that the outermost pairs are disposed on opposite sides of stripper plate 66 and the innermost pairs extending through corresponding vertical slots I4 in the stripper plate.

The lower fingers 65 of the outer pairs are secured to the top of a lower U-shaped vertical slide 15, and the upper fingers of the same pairs are secured to the bottom of an inverted upper U- shaped vertical slide I6. Said slides I5 and T6 are disposed for corresponding vertical movement in opposite directions so that when the slides are closed together the fingers 85 carried thereby are closed for passage of a band I thereover from fingers 48, and when the slides are separated vertically the corresponding fingers 65 are likewise separated vertically to expand the band.

The lower fingers 65 of the inner pairs are secured to the top of a lower inner slide 11 adapted to slide vertically in the lower U-shaped slide "I5, and the upper fingers of the same pairs are secured to the bottom of an upper inner slide I8 adapted to slide vertically in the upper U-shaped slide I6. A front plate 19 on block 68 covers the slides I5 to 18 to hold them in place, and has vertical channels 88 therethrough for receiving the corresponding fingers 65 and guiding their movement.

Slides i5 and I6 have flanges 8| extending inwardly from each side and disposed between slides 11 and I8 so that when the latter are closed together they effect closing of slides 15 and I6 upon 8 each other to bring all of the fingers 65 together simultaneously.

slides TI and 18 are synchronized in movement by means of a transverse pinion 82 mounted in end hearings in the side walls of block 68 and meshing with a vertical rack 83 on the back of the upper slide 18 and with a corresponding rack 84 on the front of an upstanding body projection at the rear of slide 11. Movement of slide 11 either up or down effects a corresponding movement of slide 18 in the opposite direction.

Slide I1 is driven by a vertical rack 85 on its side which meshes with drive gear 86 whose shaft 81 is centrally jcurnaled in a bearing member 88 in block 68. The end of shaft 81 opposite gear 86 has a gear 89 driven by a rack 98 disposed on a central push rod 9| which in turn is disposed axially through sleeve 69. The opposite end of push rod 9I has a flanged head 92 for confining a coil spring 93 On rod 9| biasing the same in a direction effecting closing of the fingers 65 together.

The push rod 9I is moved in opposition to spring 93 to separate fingers 65, by means of a second push rod 94 abutting the end of rod 9| and having a rack 95 thereon meshing with a gear 93 in the fixed housing 91 on base I8. The gear 96 is in turn driven by a rack 98 having a cam follower 99 on its end engaging cam 1| on shaft l2.

The cam II is constructed to efiect separation of the fingers 65 as soon as fingers 48 leave the band I and before tilting of the fingers from horizontal position so that the band is tightly stretched on the fingers when the latter tilt downwardly to vertical position. In separating, the fingers 85 of the inner pairs move substantially further than those of the outer two pairs in order to provide a nearly circular shape for band I.

The cam II is constructed to permit closing of the fingers 65 together by the biasing spring 93 upon the return tilting movement of the fingers so that they are closed when they reach horizontal position for receiving the next band I from fingers 48.

The loader block 68 is rotationally oscillated through a quarter of a revolution and back on the axis of sleeve 69 in tilting the fingers 65 from horizontal to vertical and back again. This movement of block 68 is effected by rack I88 extending horizontally through pedestal I8 and meshing with gear teeth IN on the outside of sleeve 69.

The rack I88 is biased outwardly by a spring I82 at its rear end in pedestal I8, in a direction to maintain head 68 with fingers 65 normally horizontal.

The rack I88 is moved inwardly against spring I82 by means of a cam follower I83 on the outer end of the rack and which engages cam I3 on shaft I2.

The stripper plate 85 is mounted on the end of a push rod I84 extending through block 68 and having a rack I85 on its outer end meshing with a gear I86 on the end of a tubular shaft I8'I journaled in sleeve 69 and containing axial push rod 9|. The shaft I81 has a gear I88 at th end opposite gear I86, and which is driven by a rack I89 meshing with gear I88 and disposed in a slideway in housing II8 fixed to the end of sleeve 69.

When sleeve 69 rotates block 68 to present fingers 65 vertically over a bottle top 2, it likewise rotates housing I In to present a cam follower I I I on the outer end of rack I09 to the operating cam F2 on shaft l2 as shown by dash lines in Fig. 3. Cam 1.! effects inward movement of rack It!) and thereby a downward movement of stripper plate 66 along fingers 65 to push the band i from the fingers and onto the bottle top 2. Rack N38 i biased outwardly to normal position by means of a spring H2 disposed in housing H8.

The cam 72 effects a rapid movement of stripper plate 65 after fingers 65 locate the band I vertically above a bottle top 2. The cam 12 cooperates with the return rotary movement of head 68 to release cam follower l I l and let spring I 32 return the stripper plate 56 to retracted position during the upward tilting of fingers 65 to horizontal position.

The invention presents a novel automatic means of breaking the vacuum between the walls of a folded seal and of initially opening the same for receiving the pick-up fingers and facilitating subsequent further opening of the seal.

Various embodiments of the invention may be employed within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described for applying seals of the tubular shrink fit regenerated cellulose type to bottle tops and the like, a seal supporting member having a non-slip surface providing an opening station for a seal, a seal opening finger having a non-slip working surface, means to support said member and said finger with the working surface of said finger disposed near the center of the non-slip surface of said support member and spaced therefrom, means to position a folded fiat seal upon th non-slip surface of said support member and between the same and said finger with one wall of the seal lying in engagement with said nonslip surface to prevent lateral movement of the seal in the general plane of the surface, means to relatively move said finger and member toward each other to effect engagement of the exposed wall of the seal by the non-slip working surface of said finger, said last named means effecting further relative movement between said finger and member in a direction substantially parallel to the general plane of the non-slip surface of said member to effect slippage of the exposed wall of the seal laterally relative to the opposite wall of the seal, the frictional engagemerit of the non-slip surfaces of said member and finger with the corresponding walls of the seal being substantially greater than the frictional engagement between the walls of the seal, said. seal positioning means disposing said seal so that the closed folded edges thereof are oriented at right angles to the direction of said last named. relative movement between said finger and member and said seal edges being free to 10 move under the influence of the slippage between the walls of the seal whereby said seal Walls are separated at each folded edge producing an opening extending substantially uniformly through the seal at each fold, a pair of substantially parallel pick-up fingers disposed in the general plane of the seal at the opening station with the free ends of the pick-up fingers in registry with the openings of the seal, means correlated to said relative movement means to move said pick-up fingers into the seal openings while said opening finger maintains the seal open, and means to raise said opening finger from the seal whereby the seal is free for transfer from the opening station by further movement of said pick-up fingers.

2. The machine of claim 1 in which the pair of pick-up fingers are laterally separable, and means are provided to laterally separate the pickup fingers to stretch the seal thereon substantially simultaneously with the release of the seal by said opening finger.

3. In a machine of the class described for applying seals of the tubular shrink fit regenerated cellulose type to bottle tops and the like and having a seal opening station, means at said station to slip one wall of a fiat folded seal relative to the other Wall of the seal in a direction toward a folded edge thereof and with the folded edges free to move to initially open the seal and provide open separation of the walls of the seal adjacent the folded edges thereof, a pair of substantially parallel spaced pick-up fingers disposed in alignment with the corresponding seal openings, and means to move said fingers across said opening station and into the seal openings to thereby pick-up the seal and to continue the movement of said fingers to transfer the seal from said opening station.

4. The machine of claim 3 in which said pickup fingers are laterally separable, and means are provided to laterally separate the pick-up fingers to stretch the seal thereon as the seal is transferred from the opening means.

5. The machine of claim 3 in which the pickup fingers are constituted of L shaped members with the supporting leg of each member adapted to limit the insertion of the free leg thereof into the seal.

WILLIAM BARTON EDDISON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 322,670 Yates July 21, 1885 1,835,336 Risser Dec. 8, 1931 2,068,107 Nygard Jan. 19, 1937 2,103,302 Strout Dec. 28, 1937 2,579,458 Allen et a1. Dec. 25, 1951 

